Electrical warp stop-motion for looms.



No.'759,436. I PATENTED MAY 10, 1904. H. I. HARRIMAN,

ELECTRICAL WARP STOP MOTION EUR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED 13150.3. 1901.

K0 MODEL.

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No. 759,436. PATENTBD MAY 10, 1904.

' H. I. HARRIMAN.

I ELECTRICAL WARP STOP MOTIONFOR LOOMS.

h APPLICATION FILED 111:0. 3, 1901. NO 110mm. 2 snmsqsnnm 2.

Patented May 10, 1904. i

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY I. HARRIMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN LOOM COMPANY, OF READVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRICAL WARP STOP-MOTION FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N0. 759,436, dated May 10, 1904.

Application filed December 3, 1901. Serial No. $34,654:. (N model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY I. HARRIMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electrical Warp Stop- Motions for Looms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawings.

IO The invention has relation in general to mechanisms of the class comprising, essentially', electromagnetic shipping or alarm devices, conductors of opposite polarity in electric circuit embracing the said devices, the

5 said conductors being separated electrically from each other under usual working conditions by a break in the continuity of the said circuit, and movable detectors adapted to be engaged with the respective threads of the 2 warp ofa loom and controlled asto their positionby such threads. For the purposes of this case these mechanisms may all be compre- 'hcnded under the one term warp stop-motions. As is known to those skilled in the 5 art, inthe case of such a warp stop-motion so long as the war p-threads continue unbroken and free from undue slackness the detectors are held thereby in position to keep the circuit open or broken between the said conduc- 3 tors of opposite polarity. hen, however, a

warp-thread breaksor becomes unduly slack,

the corresponding detector is permitted to 0p erate to close the break in the circuit, with the result that the electromagnet is excited and enabled to act to bring about the predetermined operation of the unshipping or alarm mechanism.

In the practical use of warp stop-motions of the class aforesaid difliculty is experienced 4 on account of the difficulty of securing good electrical contact between the detectors and the opposite conductors. This is due in part to the presence of lint and dust, which covers the parts more or less completely and to an extent clogs the same, and in part to the fact that the contact of the detectors with the ter min als or conductors is dependent mainly upon gravity. The detectors are very light, and

hence the force of their pressure or impact against the conductors under ordinary condi- 5 tions is Very slight.

Themain object of the present invention is to insure perfect electrical contact with the respective conductors of a detector which pertains to a defective warp-thread in orderv to close the circuit.

Another is to obviate sparking at the detectors. Y

Another is to produce an electrical war stop-motion comprising a novel and improved 6O combination and arrangement of parts.

The invention is shown embodied in an electric' warp stop-motion having a terminal or conductor which is moved toward and from the detectors in their stopping position in a 5 manner to cause the said terminal or conductor when it engages a detector in such position to make wiping contact withthe said detector, so as to insure effectually the closing of the electric circuit and the actuation of the unshipping or alarm mechanism. Some of the features of the invention may be other wise embodied in practice.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows portion of a loom, mainly in sideeleva- 7 5 tion, with the said embodiment of the invention applied thereto, certain of the fixed parts pertaining to the warp stop-motion being omitted and others being represented in vertical section. Only such parts of the loom o are shown as are required for the purpose of making clear the relations and Working of the parts that are involved in the invention itself. Fig. '2 is a view in elevation from the opposite side of the loom, mainly intended to illus- 8 5 trate the detector mechanism, the means of supporting the same, and the means of operating the moving conductor orterminal to cause it to make wiping contact with a detector in stopping position; Fig. 3 is a view of 9 the parts shown in Fig. 2 lookingafrom the rear a, the left-hand side in Fig. 2.

Having reference to the drawings, one side frame of a loom is shown at a, Fig. 1, and portion of the opposite side frame is shown at a, Figs. .Zand 3. The crank-shaft of the loom is shown at a and the cam-shaft thereof is shown at (0 these two shafts being represented in cross-section.

At 6, Fig. 1, is shown the lathe. A warpbeam is shown at c, Fig. 1, and a whip-roll at cl. The warp-threads unwinding from the said warp-beam and passing over the said whiproll forward through the loom are designated 6. arp-supporting rods are shown at f f, extending as usual transversely across the loom beneath the warp intermediate the whiproll and the harness-frames. (Not shown.) Detectors g g areshown applied to the warpthreads between the warp-supporting rods f f, as usual. The detectors are slotted lengthwise thereof, as at g g, and through the slots of the detectors extend the guiding and supporting rods h h. The warp-threads are passed through the upper portions of the slots g g irythe detectors, and the latter hang upon the warp-threads in customary fashion. Nonovelty resides in the foregoing parts per se.

Figs. 2 and 3 show a convenient means of supporting the rods f f and it h, the said means comprising, essentially, a stand 2', secured to the side frame a of the loom, there being one such stand at each side of the loom, a bracket 2', extending inwardly from the said stand and having the proximate ends of the detector-supporting rods 71 la bolted thereto, as at it, Fig. 3, and secondary brackets f f bolted at f f to an upright portion 2' of stand a, the said secondary brackets being furnished with open-topped sockets or bearings in which the ends of the warp-supporting rolls ff are removably received. The bolts l0 is, which fasten the bracket c" to the stand z',pass through vertical slots is kQFig. 2, in stand z and a horizontal slot Fig. 2, in bracket d. The vertical slots permit the bracket z" and parts carried thereby to be set at the required height in the loom to suit the position of the warp, and the horizontal slot permits the same to be adjusted bodily in a horizontal direction relative to the front and: rear of the loom. The upright portion 6 of bracket 2" is slotted vertically at f to receive the bolts the said slots permitting the brackets f to be adjusted up and down independently on bracket 9 so as to adjust the warp-supporting rods f f vertically relative to the detector-supporting rods h it. The detectors g g are of this sheet metahas usual,and are in electrical communication with the rods h 5., upon which they are strung, through their contact therewith. The said rods hit constitute conductors of one polarity pertaining to the normally open electric circuit, which is described hereinafter. Below the detector is arranged a terminal or conductor m of the opposite polarity, which also is included in the said electric circuit.

In carrying the first feature of my invention into efiect I arrange the terminal or conductor m so as to adapt the same to be moved toward a detector that has been permitted to drop by the breakage or undue slacking of its warp-thread. Thus in the present embodiment of the invention I provide the terminal or conductor m with a supporting-shaftm", having journalsm, Figs. 2 and 3, at its opposite ends, which may conveniently be fitted to supporting bearings, as described later herein. The manner of mounting the said terminal or conductor may be varied in practice within the spirit of my invention. I also provide means to communicate motion to the terminal or conductor m toward and from the detectors in a manner to cause it to press against a detector in stopping position and wipe along the latter in the direction of its length. Preferably I arrange the terminal or conductor or so as to engage with the portions of the detectors which extend below the supporting-rods h h. The detectors which I employ are thin and flexible,and I find excellent results to be secured in practice by permitting a sufiicient portion of the length of the dropped detector to hang below the rod h on which it is mounted to enable such portion of the detector to be flexed or sprung somewhat freely under the latteral pressure of the said terminal or conductor m thereagainst, the parts adjacent the detectors being so disposed as not to obstruct this flexure or springing. (See Fig. 2.) This utilizes the elasticity of the material of the detector itself as a means of holding the detector pressed with yielding force against the supporting-rod h and the moving terminal or conductor m Thereby perfect contact of. the detector in stopping position with both of the conductors of opposite polarity is insured in addition to the wiping action, while injury to the detector is avoided.

A. convenient means of moving the terminal or conductor m is shown, such means comprising the eccentric it upon the cam-shaft 0, of the loom, the eccentric-strap n and the rod of connecting the said eccentric-strap with the 1 arm 11?, with which the terminal or conductor m is provided. Any other suitable means of communicating to the said terminal or conductor on movement capable of securing the desired results in practice may be substituted. Preferably in practice two rows or ranks of detectors are employed mounted on a corresponding number of supporting-rods g g,with the terminal or conductor or arranged intermediately thereof, so as to cooperate with the respective rows or ranks alternately at alternate picks of the loom.

Any approved electromagnetic unshipping or alarm mechanism may be employed in practice. I have illustrated in Fig. 1 a convenient arrangement which I prefer and which forms one part of my invention, it comprising the usual shipper-handle 0 and horizontally-swinging knock-off lever 0,(shown only in vertical section,) the trip-lever 0 pivoted at 0 upon said knock-off lever 0, the rod 0 connected, and the electromagnet o This arrangement is adapted for ready application to I either new or old looms of a common and wellknown construction without change in the shipping mechanism thereof and with a minimum of labor. The electromagnet o is connected electrically, as-by a wire 0, with one pole of a source of electric energy, here represented by a battery 0 The terminal or conductor m is connected electrically, as by a wire 0, with the other pole of the said battery. In accordance with my invention it is insulated from the loom-frame by fitting the journals at the ends of the supporting-shaft m" thereof to the bushingsm Figs. 2 and 3 aforesaid, of vulcan-v ized fiber or other insulated bearings, placed within sockets with which depending arms in,

bolted to stands a, are provided. Each of the .said bushings m is provided at its inner end with aflange m Fig. 3, to prevent the shoulderat the inner portion of the journal of said terminal or conductor from making electrical contact with the corresponding supportingarm m. The rods [L it, by which detectors g g are supported, are in metallic or electrical; communicatlon with the loom-frame, and so is also the shipper-handle 0.

Acontact-spring p, mounted upon the loomframe upon an insulating-support p, is con-. .nected electrically, as by a wire with the electromagnet 0. When shlpper-handle 0 1s moved into position to ship on the driving power, a portion, as 23 of the shipper-handle makes contact With contact-springp, thereby making complete the electrical communication between rods 5/ g and the corresponding pole of the battery. When, however, the shipper-- handle is knocked off and allowed to move .to unship the driving power, its contact portion is withdrawn from the contact-spring p, thereby breaking the circuit automatically. One result secured thereby is that the battery when one is employed is prevented from becoming exhausted.

For the purpose of engaging with the trip lever to knockoff the loom a bunter or striker q is attached to the lathe-beam. When the circuit is closed by contact of the moving terminal or conductor m with a dropped detector g, the action or the electromagnet 0 upon operates,th rough the connections described,to swing the rear end of said trip-lever into the path of movement of the striker or bunter q, and the latter in the advance of the lathe en- .countcrs said trip-lever, pushing it and the knock-off lever 0' forward and dislodging the shipper-handle, thereby causing the driving power to be unshipped.

A characteristic feature of the illustrated embodiment of my invention is the fact that the detectors are free to be moved widthwise at their lower or engaging ends when the de- .detectors to contact firmly with the supporting-rods 7th, and also permits the said engaging ends to be sprung sui'liciently by the said pressure in the direction of the width of the detectors to secure the required extent of sliding contact with the moving terminal or conductor m.

In the working of electric warp stop-motions containing detectors constituting movable terminals of one polarity and a cooperating terminal of the opposite polarity after the circuit has been closed by contact of one or more of the said detectors with the terminallast mentioned an electric spark will be produced if the contact between the said detector or detectors and terminal is broken. This sparking is deemed undesirable. In my improved .warp stop-motion the movable terminal-and the detector which is engaged thereby remain or dwell in contact with each other for a period of appreciable length, within which period the circuit-controlling devices that are connected with the shipping mechanism are caused to break the circuit elsewhere, so that when the contact between the movable terminal and the detector is broken, as by the reverse movement of the said terminal, no sparking occurs. v This dwell vin the present case is in part a result of the flexing or springing of the detectors under the pressure of the movable terminal. In part also it is due to the fact that the eccentric, which is employed for the actuation of the movable terminal gives the dwell ateach ex- .treme of the movement of the movable termi nal. The desired result can be secured by eitherof these means. In cases in which the detectors are not flexed under the pressure of the movable terminal the required dwell in the contact of the movable terminal with a detector in stopping position may be secured :entirely by properly constructing and connectingthe operating means of the movw-able terminal.

' What I claim is 1. In an electrical warp stop-motion, in combination, clectrically-separated conductors of opposite polarity, movable detectors, and means to movea conductor toward and from the detectors and produce wiping contact of the said conductor with a detector in its stopping position, to close the circuit, substantially as described.

. .2. Inan electrical warp stop-motion for looms, in combination, movable detectors included in the circu1t and constituting termlnals of one polarity, a terminal or conductor of the opposite polarity, and means to move the latter terminal or conductor toward and from the detectors and produce wiping contact of the same with a detector in its stopping position, to close the circuit, substantially as described.

3. In an electrical warp stop-motion for looms, in combination, movable slotted detectors, a supporting-rod constituting a conductor of one polarity and on which the said slotted detectors are strung, a terminal or conductor of the opposite polarity, and means to move the latter terminal or conductor toward and from the detectors and produce wiping contact of the same with a detector in its stopping position, to close the circuit, substantially as described. r

4. In an electrical warp stop-motion, in combination, electrically-separated conductors of opposite polarity, movable flexible detectors, and means to move a terminal or conductortoward and from the detectors and cause the same to spring or bend a detector in its stopping position, and thereby produce wiping contact therewith, to close the circuit, substantially as described. I

5. In an electrical warp stop-motion, in combination, movable flexible detectors, a supporting-rod therefor constitutinga conductor of one polarity, a terminal or conductor of the opposite polarity, and means to move the latter terminal or conductor against a detector in stopping position, spring or bend said detector against said supporting-rod, substantially as described.

6. In an electrical warp stop-motion, in combination, a supporting-rod constituting a conductor of one polarity, slotted detectors applied to the said supporting-rod and free to be flexed at their engaging ends when in their stopping position, a terminal or conductor of I the opposite polarity, and means to carry the same against the engaging ends of the detectors in their stopping position, substantially as described.

7. In an electrical warp stop-motion, in combination, a supporting-rod constituting a conductor of one polarity, flexible detectors applied in connection with the said supportingrod and free to be sprung in the direction of their width when in their stopping position, a terminal or conductor of the opposite polarity, and means to move the same against the detectors in their stopping position and spring and flex said detectors in the direction of their width, substantially as described.

8. In an electrical warp-stop motion, in combination, the detectors, a terminal or conductor to cooperate with saiddetectors, it having journals as described, means to rock said terminal or conductor toward and from adetector in its stopping position, and insulated bearings for the said journals, substantially as described. i

9. In an electrical warp stop-motion,in combination, the detectors, a terminal or conductor to cooperate with said detectors, it having journals as described, means to rock said terminal or conductor toward and from a detector in its stopping position, bushings of insulating material fitted to said journals, and supports receiving said bushings, substantially as described.

10. In an electrical Warp stop-motion, in combination, a series of slotted detectors, a terminal or conductor of one polarity extending through the slots of the said detectors, a movable terminal or conductor of the opposite polarity, and means to carry the latter terminal or conductor against the engaging ends of the detectors in their indicating position and by pressure against said ends insure good contact therewith and also cause the detectors to contact firmly against the terminal or conductor passing through the slots thereof.

11. In an electrical warp stop-motion, in combination, parallel lines of detectors included in the circuit and constituting terminals of one polarity, aterminal or conductor of the opposite polarity mounted in a position intermediate the said lines, and means to reciprocate the latter terminal or, conductor to cause it to feel in its respective movements in opposite directions for detectors of the corresponding lines occupying an indicating position.

12. In an electrical warp stop-motion, in combination, two lines of slotted detectors, a terminal or conductor of one polarity extending through the slots of the detectors of each of the said lines, a terminal or conductor of the opposite polarity movable in opposite directions from an intermediate position between the said lines of detectors, and means to reciprocate the said movable terminal or conductor.

13. In an electrical warp stop-motion, in combination, two lines of slotted detectors, a terminal or conductor of one polarity extending through the slots of the detectors of each of the said lines, a movable terminal or conductor of the opposite polarity having an axis of movement intermediately located with relation to the said lines of detectors, and means to reciprocate the said movable terminal or conductor.

14. In a loom, in combination, the shipperhandle, the knock-off .lever swinging in a horizontal plane, the trip movably mounted upon the said knock-01f lever, the electromagnet, the movable armature-lever, the rod connecting said trip and armature lever, an electric circuit embracing the said electromagnet and having a break which is closed by-the said shipper-handle when the latter is moved into position to ship on the d riving power and is opened by the movement of the said shipper-handle to throw off the power, and a going part carrying a bunter to engage with said trip and by swinging the knock-off lever horizontally dislodge the shipper-handle, substantially as described. v

15. An electrical warp stop ,-motion 'for looms comprising, essentially, detectors under control of the warp-threads, a moving closure IIO device coacting with a detector pertaining to a defective warp thread to close the circuit, shipping mechanism brought into action by the closing of the circuit, and circuit-breaking devices whereby the circuit is broken elsewhere while still remaining closed at the said detector, substantially as described.

16. An electrical warp stop motion for looms comprising, essentially, a normally broken or open circuit, detectors under control of the warp-threads, a feeler acting to close the circuit by engagement with the detector pertaining to a defective warp-thread, means to operate the feeler, shipping mechanism brought into action by the closing of the circuit, and circuit-controlling devices operating to break the circuit elsewhere while it remains closed at the detector, substantially as described.

17 An electrical warp stop motion for looms comprising, essentially,electrically-separated conductors, detectors under control of the Warp-threads, means to occasion movement of a conductor against the detector pertaining to a defective warp-threadand thereby complete the circuit, shipping mechanism brought into action by the completion of the circuit,

and circuit-controlling devices operated by said shipping mechanism to break the circuit elsewhere while the circuit remains closed at the said detector, substantially as described.

18. An electrical Warp stop motion for looms comprising, essentially,electrically-separated conductors, detectors under control of the warp-threads, means to occasion movement of a conductor against the detector pertaining to a defective warp-thread and thereby complete the circuit, said means acting to cause a dwell of the said movable conductor in contact with the said detector, shipping mechanism brought into action by the completion of the circuit, and circuit-breaking devices 0perating to break the circuit elsewhere during the said dwell, substantially as described.

19. An electrical warp stop motion for looms comprising, essentially, a normally broken or open circuit,detectors under control of the warp-threads, a feeler to act against the detector pertaining to a defective warpthread and cause the circuit to be completed or closed, means to communicate to-and-fro movement to said feeler, said means acting to cause a dwell of the feeler while pressed against the said detector, shipping mechanism brought into action by the completion or closing of the circuit, and circuit-controlling devices operating to break the circuit elsewhere during the said dwell, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. HENRY I. HARRIMAN.

Witnesses:

OHAs. F. RANDALL, WILLIAM A. COPELAND. 

